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ASM functionality checking – part I

Today we moved all the electronics in their final place with AO workstation.

After that we started testing the electronics simply switching on everything without the ASM connected in order to see if everything works or not and…

One power supply failure after switch on: red light and MasterBCU blinking

AAAAARRRGHHHH: one power supply seems not work. A strange noise like “clic-clic” at few Hertz appeared and in the meanwhile the MasterBCU is loosing power.

At this point we analyze what we knew about the status of the system:

  • it was kept switched off for months so an hardware piece broken is unlikely
  • it was perfectly working the last time in the clean room
  • no one touched/refurbished it
  • moreover the MasterBCU power supply is blinking as well.

Since we have one single phase from the three phase line supplying one single AC/DC power converter, the failure of the AC/DC power converter can be caused by something missing in the line. The MasterBCU behavior confirms that: his power come directly from the power line without passing from the AC/DC power converters.

So only one thing is really different from the clean room and the telescope…. THIS!

Power lines at the telescope

And here we found the problem: in the three phase wall box the NEUTRAL WAS MISSING so the system cannot work.

Neutral missing on three phase box

The telescope guys fixed it in a couple of hours and now everything works well!

The electronics now works and the MasteBCU is powered on

OK! now next step connect the ASM and we will see….!

MagAO Commissioning Day 4: The Adaptive Secondary Mirror is installed!

Today we installed the Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM), a critical and exciting event!  This is our 1.6 mm thick 85 cm wide fragile thin shell that was transported to the summit yesterday.  It is now hanging up high above the primary mirror in the dome of the Magellan Clay telescope.

We woke up this morning to clouds in the valley to the west — the marine layer.

Marine layer

First, LCO staff removed the f/5 and f/11 mirrors, finishing all that before lunch!  In the afternoon, we transported the ASM to the dome from the aux, and the entire installation process took until dinner or later.

We brought the ASM into the Clay dome using the handling cart (“CartRaptor”).

Bringing the ASM into the telescope dome from the Aux building

Once on the dome floor, we attached a harness, removed one bar of the handling cart to fit the ASM through, and attached a crane to raise it up out of the cart.

Armando demonstrates raising the ASM
Removing one of the bars of the handling cart so the ASM fits up through it
The ASM up on the crane

Juan directed the LCO staff doing the heavy lifting.

Juan Gallardo directing the operation

Armando supervised handling of the ASM.

Armando Riccardi supervises handling of the ASM

Derek installed the CRO (Calibration Return Optic — pretty much a retro-reflector) and laser:

Dr. Derek Kopon, first PhD from the MagAO project, installs the CRO and laser.

Then we lifted the ASM to the level of the secondary truss, and rotated the dome around until it was lined up with the tipped-over telescope.

Rotating the dome and crane to line up the ASM with the secondary truss of the telescope, which is pointed at horizon

Finally, we installed the ASM to the secondary truss of the Clay telescope!

The ASM on its way to the secondary truss of the Clay telescope
The ASM attached to the secondary truss!

 

And our quote, now that we’ve gotten the ASM safely from Tucson to Florence to Tucson to Florence to Chile and up to the Clay:

“If I’d known how much shipping we were going to do, I would have picked a different project” — Laird Close

MagAO Commissioning Day 3: The Shell Summits

Today we moved our Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM), including our 1.6 mm thick 85 cm wide fragile thin shell, up to the aux building between the telescopes. Needless to say, it was an exciting time.

The ASM is stored on a handling cart specifically designed for this trip
The entire trip was under the watchful gaze of Armando the ASM guru
Emilio is paying out the come-along, a device used to make sure the ASM is always under control
Here the ASM is leaving the cleanroom
Miguel operating the come-along

Here’s a video of the cart being pushed and pulled onto the truck:

The ASM on the truck
Advisor and student share some shade
Laird and Katie are attaching a cover to prevent the sun from reflecting off our shell and melting something/someone
Here is the ASM all strapped down, and just beginning its journey to the top

Laird held the ASM's hand all the way to the top
The MagAO ASM arriving at Clay
The come-along was used at the top too.
The loading dock was specially adjusted to keep our shell safe

Other stuff got done today too.

Alan and Tyson finished installing our new cable management system today.

This guides the cable through the hole in the deck as our instrument rotates

Here it is in action, demonstrated by the lovely Tyson:

After dinner Marco and Armando went up to Clay to begin preparing to power up the ASM electronics tomorrow.

Armando and Marco opening the ASM electronics rack.

Derek Kopon (Arizona/Heidelberg) and Marco Xompero (Arcetri) arrived today. The dining hall is getting full!

quotes of the day:
Frank Perez: “Ok, who’s in charge”
Laird Close: “Well…I guess I am.”

“It can be disconcerting at first, but you’ll get used to it” (Povilas Palunas)

“Sometimes I wonder who’s the student and who’s the director here.” (Laird Close)

For today’s operation we broke out the steel toes. There was some question about style vs. function. In the end, style won.

A skeptical Alan tests Katie's safety shoes, which are somewhat pinker than the norm around here

I managed to get close enough to this little guy today:

MagAO Commissioning Day 2: That Was Big

Armando Riccardi is here. That means it is all going to be fine. Seriously – stop worrying.

O.k. Maybe worry a little. We had a 6.2 magnitude earthquake today, almost right under us. That’s telescope shaking, rock slide causing, all work stopping strong. Strong enough that Armando abandoned the ASM in the cleanroom. Here’s a map:

Coordinates and strength of the quake from Universidad de Chile . It was only 34 miles away.

The valley between us and the epicenter had clouds of dust rising, presumably from rock slides. [check back, I’ll post some pics when I get them]

In the end everything is fine. Nothing broke and we just kept working.

Alan and Tyson tweak our guider.
Tyson working on wrapping the 'Anaconda', which regular blog readers will remember from our last adventure. Katie and Alan are safety watches in case it turns on Tyson.

Progress was made on site cleanliness as well.

Alan gets it done again. Our various mothers will be grateful for once-more poop-free pictures of their children.

And we discovered what “the problem has been dealt with” actually meant. The Viscacha den in the attic of the ASB was screened over.

The screens put in place to stop the banana raids. The white streaks are evidence of the former occupants. Vizzy looks on with seeming distinterest.

The MagAO project’s first on-sky results!

The MagAO project put together an instrument on a shoestring budget from borrowed parts, to observe one of Nature’s most beautiful spectacles:

Approaching sunset at LCO

The solar eclipse!


We built a pinhole camera using an obsolete cable bulkhead, an authentic piece of MagAO hardware.  We call it the MagAO Solar Eclipse Viewer.  You can see the cable bulkhead below, in this photo of the PI and Instrument Scientist who did all the planning, design, and prep work with the hardware.

Dr. Katie Morzinski, PI and Jared Males, Instrument Scientist

The instrument passed internal Feasibility (FDR)/Conceptual (CoDR), Preliminary (PDR), and Critical Design Reviews (CDR) this afternoon.  There was no Pre-Ship Review (PSR) because we hand-carried the instrument from the Aux building to the dining hall.  Integration and Testing (I&T) was completed in the afternoon at the Aux building by the PI and Instrument Scientist.

The commissioning and observing run began immediately after everyone finished eating a delicious dinner together in the LCO dining room.

Software and operations were provided by Tyson Hare.  He first upgraded the detector from a wall to a sheet of paper, and then commissioned the instrument outside…

Commissioning the MagAO Solar Eclipse Viewer

…then took it inside to the LCO dining room, where the curtains could be drawn to reduce the ambient “dome” light.

Optimization of the MagAO Solar Eclpse Viewer

Here is Tyson operating the MagAO Solar Eclipse Viewer detector:

Tyson Hare operating the detector

Laird Close operated the pinhole camera:

Dr. Laird Close, camera operator

We simulated the eclipse with a 100-peso coin, to test our optical design and alignment:

Simulation of the solar eclipse, on a shoestring budget

A lot of the LCO staff and other LCO observers joined in on the fun!

LCO enjoying the solar eclipse

Here we show the entire instrument and overlay the light path:

Light path of the MagAO Solar Eclipse Viewer

It was only a grazing or nibbler eclipse at LCO, and here are some of the best images we got:

Solar eclipse images
Eclipse through welding glasses

It was a lot of fun, and we hope you enjoyed the first on-sky results by the MagAO project!

The MagAO Solar Eclipse Viewer